To Hell and Back
by brokenmoonlight
Summary: Follow up to 'The Demon of Love.' Something is slowly sucking the life out of Vince - will he able to escape the world of flames or will it break and consume him? For once, those he trusts the most might not be able to save him.
1. The Calm Before the Storm

**A/N: Follow up to 'The Demon of Love' – I really appreciate all the reviews it got – Thanks! Hope you enjoy this one just as much. There is a reference to those Japanese sporting programmes you get on those obscure cable channels, and so if any Japanese people are reading this, it is not at all intended to offend! I haven't written anything offensive, but you know, just in case...**

**Disclaimer – NOT MINE! Get it?**

**xxxx**

"Vince!"

"What?!"

"Stop looking in the mirror and come and give me a hand!"

Vince ran a hand through his raven hair and fluffed it up at the top. He'd been fussing with it for forty-five minutes and it still wasn't right – there was no way he was leaving his hair unfinished. He reached for his straighteners and carefully pulled them through his shiny locks. He was about to add a bit more root boost when Howard's slightly annoyed voice came drifting into the room again.

"Vince!"

He scowled into the mirror. "All right!"

Five minutes later, finally satisfied, Vince Noir trudged into the living and eyed the jazz maverick curiously as he leant against the wall.

"There's really no need to go to all this effort you know – the flat's fine. They're not gonna notice if the bit of carpet under the sofa hasn't been hoovered."

Howard came over to him and pushed a pile of papers into his hands, looking flustered. "It matters to me. I don't want them thinking I can't look after you properly! What will they think then, hmm? I mean, I know they were great about it when you told them, but I still have a duty of care towards you and -"

"Duty of care?" Vince said, interrupting him. "What are you, my teacher?"

"You know what I mean," he replied as he fussed with the cushions on the sofa.

Vince sighed and chucked the papers onto the top of the cabinet next to him. "Howard," he said, walking over to him and grabbing his hands, making him drop the cushion he was currently plumping up. Howard paused and straightened himself.

"I'm just -"

"I know. But really, they are not going to notice. The flat is fine, we're fine and they're fine with it. We've lived together for years – they know you look after me."

Howard flopped down onto the sofa, pulling Vince down with him. "I know – you're right. I just can't help it. I want to make a good impression."

Vince leant forward and placed a light kiss on his lips. "Stop worrying - you know my mum and dad have always liked you and they're not going to think any different of you now. I hardly think they're gonna starting inspecting the shelves for dust."

Howard smiled and glanced at his watch. "They'll be here soon." He started to tap his hands nervously on his thighs. Vince rolled his eyes and pushed himself onto his lap and sat on them.

"Stop. It."

Howard smirked up him. "Or what?" he said, removing his hands from underneath Vince's legs and sliding them under his t-shirt and around his waist.

Vince tensed slightly and gazed down at him, his eyes darkening, falling forward onto Howard's lips when he reached up and tugged the front of his top.

Seconds later, Howard did nothing to hide his growl of disappointment when the doorbell rang.

xxxx

"Blimey, I thought they'd never leave!" Vince exclaimed as he trudged back up the stairs after seeing his parents off, smiling when he noticed Howard standing in front of the mirror attacking his cheeks with a tissue, lipstick marks adorning his skin.

"Please, please don't ever let your mother do that to me ever again. Ever."

Vince laughed. "What? She likes you!" he said, coming up behind him and leaning his head against his back, hands sliding round his waist.

Howard quirked an eyebrow as he checked that his face was now clear of red lip prints. "What're you up too, Vince?"

"Nuffon," he mumbled into his shirt.

"What?"

"Nothing," Vince repeated as he pulled his head back.

Howard tried to spin round, but Vince stayed clamped to him, making him chuckle. He walked over to the sofa, dragging him behind him.

'Unless you want me to sit on you, little man, you'll have to budge round a bit."

Vince complied, and they fell onto the soft cushions.

Four months in, and Howard was still amazed at not just the change in himself, but in Vince too. Before he'd been occasionally insensitive towards Howard's feelings and sarcastic to a fault (well, he still was sometimes), whereas he was now affectionate and loving and more kind and considerate alongside his usual slightly ditzy, bright, happy, colourful, fashion loving, hair obsessed electro rocker self - amazing what admitting your true feelings can do for you. Howard himself was more relaxed and a lot happier than he had ever been in his whole life.

"Whatcha thinking?"

Vince's voice interrupted his thoughts, and he looked down to see two large, blue eyes staring up at him, entirely innocent at that moment and full of love and complete trust. Howard breathed in deeply and smiled down at him.

"Nothing much. You hungry?"

"Starving," he said, the innocent look instantly leaving his eyes as he reached up and started kissing and nibbling Howard's neck, grinning when he saw his eyes close blissfully, and stopping a few seconds later when he heard his stomach growl. "Oh, you're actually hungry."

Howard opened his eyes and smirked, though he was a little disappointed that Vince had stopped his ministrations and he let him know this by putting a hand behind his head and bringing his lips to his, kissing him fully and leaving him more than a little flustered.

"So," he said, as he pulled away. "What do you fancy?"

xxxx

Howard and Bollo stood at the kitchen table, dishing out Chinese food onto plates.

"So, how it go with Vince's parents?" Bollo asked, tipping a plastic tub of noodles upside down.

"Great - it was great."

"They did your head in?"

"Little bit."

Bollo laughed, although it could have been mistaken for a drawn-out grunt, nearly knocking the sweet and sour sauce to the floor.

Across from them, both sitting cross-legged on the rug, were Vince and Naboo, who were currently watching some weird Japanese sports programme and shouting rather energetically at the TV.

"You muppet!" Vince laughed, as a man trying to jump across a mud pit with a pole got stuck half way across and slid down messily into the goo below.

"What did he think he was doing? Starting off like that, honestly. No wonder he lost his balance!" Naboo added.

"Grubs up," Howard announced, but it was met with deaf ears.

"Nooo!!" Vince and Naboo yelled out at the same time, in hysterics as the man, now trying to climb up the bank, fell back down and landed head first in the sticky brown sludge, people rushing to help him.

"Oi," Howard said, nudging Vince with his foot.

Vince looked up to see a plate looming towards him, and smiled brightly. "Thanks," he said, taking the plate and automatically switching his attention back to the TV.

Howard rolled his eyes and moved out the way as Bollo bent down to hand Naboo his dinner.

Half an hour later, when the boys were well and truly stuffed, the doorbell rang. Vince pulled himself up as quickly as his full stomach would allow him (which was surprising since he would usually make one of the others run down the stairs if someone came round), and went to answer it.

"Hi, can I help you?" he said, opening the door to a strange looking old man with a crooked nose, thin greasy hair and beady eyes. The man looked at Vince and sighed rather heavily as he leaned in close to his face.

"Ergh! No offence mate, but you really should get some mints for that."

The old man smiled oddly at him. "So sorry Miss, I seem to be in the wrong place. Getting forgetful in my old age. Sorry to bother you."

"That's all right," he said, as the man started to walk away. Vince went to shut the door, but instead looked back out and called, "Hey! Where you trying to get too?" But the elderly gentleman had already gone.

Vince shook his head and went back inside.

xxxx

"Vince?" Howard mumbled, rudely awoken from his peaceful slumber by a nasty sounding, hacking cough.

"Sorry, Howa..." Vince trailed off and he started spluttering again, leaning forward and trying to catch his breath.

Howard looked at him in concern, wondering where on earth this cough had appeared from. He'd been fine when they'd gone to bed.

"I'll get you some water," he said, jumping out of bed, the cold air hitting his bare chest unpleasantly.

Vince's throat was killing him. His chest was tight and the more he coughed, the harder he found it was to breathe and even though the room was cool, he was burning up. Standing carefully, he stumbled over to the window, pushing it open and letting the night air wash over his skin. It didn't help though, and he clutched at his throat as he struggled for air.

When Howard walked back into the room, it was just in time to see Vince collapse to the floor, the sudden silence being louder than the coughing had been. Howard dropped the glass he was holding and rushed over to him, throwing himself down beside his head.

"Vince? Vince!" he cried, panicking as he put an ear to his mouth to make sure he was breathing. He was, but it was slow and laboured and sounded incredibly painful. He tapped him gently on the cheek to try and bring him round, but all he got for his efforts was a wet palm from the cold sweat that had formed on Vince's deathly white skin.

"Naboo!" he shouted out, trying his best to keep calm, but failing miserably.

Naboo, already awake from Vince's fit, came rushing in at the sound of Howard's strained voice.

"What happ -" he started, but Howard yelled "ambulance!" at him and he instantly ran for the phone.

Howard pulled Vince into a more comfortable position, cradling him gently, all the while hoping and praying that he wasn't suddenly about to be snatched away from him.

xxxx

**Flames reached out to caress him from every angle, the heat burning through his skin and coursing through his veins. He screamed for help, but no sound came from his mouth. Sweat stung his eyes, but he couldn't lift his hands to clear them – the effort was too much. Panicking, he started to hyperventilate, coughing and spluttering until he could taste the metallic tang of blood in his mouth. With nowhere left to turn, he backed himself up against the hot wall, wincing when it touched his skin but not stopping as he tried to get away from the fire. All too soon he began to slide down the wall, his life-force slipping away from him, and all he could do was give up and hand himself over to the blistering pain, sinking further down, down, down... but wait? What was that noise? A voice? Yes – and one he found vaguely familiar, even though he couldn't yet place it. It called out again, and he thought it sounded scared, desperate. Then he realised that the voice was calling his name, and... Howard? Was that Howard? What was he... Open my eyes? Open my eyes, my eyes...**

"Vince!"

Vince's eyes flew open and he bolted upright, something slipping from his face as he did so. He gasped, fighting for breath and reaching out blindly in front of him, grabbing at nothing.

Howard caught hold of his hands and tried to still him.

"Vince, Vince, it's okay, you're all right."

Vince turned to face him, looking about wildly as he tried to focus his vision on the blurry image in front off him. Something was being placed over his mouth, and he tried to push it off, but the hands holding it on his face were too strong.

"Vince, sweetheart, you need to calm down. This is just to help you breathe, that's all. You have to keep it on. Take deep, slow breaths."

He felt a hand stroking his hair and he relaxed a little. "Howard?" he whispered croakily.

"I'm right here, little man," he replied, bringing his face up to look at him.

This time Vince's eyes focused properly. "Where am I?"

"You're in hospital."

Vince looked panicked at this, and Howard pulled him close. "It's okay, you're safe – I won't let anything happen to you."

Once he had calmed down enough, Howard helped him to remove the oxygen mask from his face.

"What happened?" he asked weakly, leaning on Howard like a dead-weight.

"You started coughing really violently, and then you collapsed. The doctors have run lots of tests, but they can't find anything wrong with you – reckon it was just one of those things. You coughed so much that you started to hyperventilate, and that caused you to pass out. Do you remember anything?"

"I – remember – coughing – but – not..."

"Sorry," Howard said. "I shouldn't be making you talk so much. You lie back down – I'll go and let the nurse know you're awake."

Vince grabbed hold of his arm. "Don't leave me."

Howard was surprised at how frightened he sounded, and instead of getting up, he leant over Vince and pressed the call button on the wall.

"Don't worry - I'm not going anywhere."

xxxx

Vince dozed peacefully against Howard on the sofa. The doctors, as they couldn't find anything wrong with him, allowed him to go home, and he'd fallen asleep as soon as they'd sat down, not even really getting a chance to reassure Naboo and Bollo that he was okay, so Howard had had to explain it for him, and Naboo himself had even given him a check over, coming to exactly the same conclusion. So why did Howard still feel so uneasy?

Hours later Vince awoke and, stretching and sitting up slowly, saw that Howard was standing by the window, looking out at the dusky, mild June evening, the setting sun catching his face slightly and making it glow pink and yellow. He got up and wandered over to him, and as he got closer, he realised that Howard was crying quietly, shoulders gently shaking as he fought to control himself. Vince put a tentative hand on his shoulder, and he jumped violently.

"Vince! I didn't know you were awake," he said, hastily rubbing a hand over his face. "How you feeling?"

Vince didn't answer, instead he turned Howard around to face him fully and pulled him into a hug. His resolve instantly crumbled, and he let out a strangled noise into his shoulder.

"I'm sorry," he sobbed, trying to pull away, but Vince held him tight.

"Sorry for what?" he asked, stroking his hair and placing a kiss on his temple.

"I can't... this isn't right. You shouldn't be... I should be looking after you." He sank down into the armchair, pulling Vince on top of him, their arms still wrapped around each other.

"Tell me what's wrong," Vince asked softly, running a comforting hand down his cheek.

Howard sniffed. "It's just – It's – I thought I'd lost you!" he cried, hot tears running down his face.

You didn't," he replied, his voice gentle as he desperately tried to soothe him.

"I know, but it frightened the life out of me, and for a moment I thought that was it – there was nothing I could do and it terrified me." He placed a shaky kiss on his lips before saying; "I can't live without you – If I lost you, I'd die."

Hearing Howard admit to something like that made Vince's stomach flip and his heart break – not in an insensitive way, but just because at that moment he felt so much love for him that it made him sick to think of what he'd put him through.

"I'm so sorry you had to go through that, Howard."

Howard wiped his eyes and stared up at him, awe struck. "Vince – you were ill. It was hardly something you could help."

"I know, but -"

Howard placed a finger on his lips. "You're here and you're safe. I couldn't wish for anything else." He paused before asking him something that had been playing on his mind ever since Vince had first woken up. "Just before you woke up in the hospital, you looked like you were having a nightmare – you were moaning and looked terrified, took me a while to bring you out of it. Do you want to talk about it?"

Vince shrugged. "I don't really remember it now, to be honest with you."

Howard didn't believe him, but he dropped it for now all the same, not wanting to upset him.

They sat there for a long while talking, finally falling asleep in the early hours of the morning, panic and worry taken over by peace.

For now.

xxxx

**Ooh, what will happen next? Review, and maybe I'll tell you! xx**


	2. Don't Leave Me

**A/N: You guys are great – I'm so glad you're enjoying this! Hopefully you'll like this chapter just as much!**

**xxxx**

"Bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored..."

"Vince..."

"...bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored..."

"Vince!"

"...bored, bored, bored, bored... argh!" Vince cried out as Howard grabbed him, tickling him mercilessly. "Let go!" he laughed, his voice turning hysterical the more he giggled.

"Sorry, no can do. You asked for it!" Howard replied as Vince squirmed in his grasp, trying to get free.

"Stop, stop, stop!" he wheezed, collapsing to the ground as he tried to escape. Howard ended up on top of him, pinning him down to the shop floor, completely forgetting that a customer could walk in at any moment.

"Only if you promise to stop complaining!"

"Never!" Vince cried, nearly screaming as Howard went for his ribs. "Okay, okay, okay!"

"You'll stop?"

"Yes!"

"I don't believe you."

"I will!" he panted, his face red.

"All right, but first say 'Howard Moon is the coolest guy in the world!'"

"Howard Moon is the un-coolest – AHH!"

'Say it!" Howard gasped, his own laughter threatening to weaken his hold at any moment.

"Howard Moon is the coolest guy in the world!"

"Say you promise never to whinge about being bored again."

"Well, that's just unfair 'cause – N - NO! I promise never to whinge about being bored again!"

"Now tell me you love me more than you love Topshop."

Vince grinned cheekily. "It's a different kind of love!" He yelped as Howard went for him again. "I love you more than I love Topshop in the other way!" he cried out, tears running down the sides of his face.

Howard stopped and sat back, staring down at Vince's flushed face whilst still holding onto his wrists. "You know, you're just lucky you're so pretty."

Vince stuck his tongue out at him and Howard laughed, moving aside and giving him a hand up before pulling him into a one armed hug.

It had been almost a week since Vince had been in hospital, and he was seemingly back to his bright, happy self – apart from one thing: In those brief moments when Vince thought no one was looking his shoulders would slump, his face would take on an expression of complete exhaustion and he'd wobble slightly on his feet, and to further add to Howard's concern, for the last couple of days Vince had all but stopped eating, choosing to push most of his dinner round his plate than attempt to eat it. If that wasn't strange enough, Vince would be the one who was piling his plate full of food in the first place, seemingly starving, before he suddenly went off it completely. It was like something was stopping him from eating rather than him not actually wanting to eat.

Howard brushed Vince's fringe out of his eyes, smiling when he felt him shiver slightly, and placed a hand under his chin, running his thumb over his lips. Vince pressed a kiss to it.

"You okay?"

No, Howard thought, but he pushed it aside and looked at him lovingly. "Course I am. Come on, it's time to close up."

xxxx

"Don't you like it?" Howard asked, watching Vince twist his fork into his food and drop it for the hundredth time.

"It's great," he said, looking up and giving him what he thought was the expression of someone thoroughly their dinner.

Howard just stared at him; his brow creased as he tried to figure out what was going through Vince's head. "You don't have to finish it if you don't want to," he said, as he watched him sip at his glass of water.

Naboo looked at Howard's torn face and decided to change the subject. "How was the shop today? Busy?"

Vince seemed to brighten a little at this. "Not really, but this bag lady came in and tried to sell us some empty crisp packets and when we refused, she threatened to set her tin can army on us," he chuckled. "Howard stopped her though – saw her off with his stationary people; it was hilarious."

The tension lifted slightly, and they finished eating in relative silence, Vince even managing a couple more mouthfuls – as small as they were.

Bollo cleared the plates and, with Naboo's help, went to start the washing up.

Vince let his eyes drift shut, sudden tiredness threatening to pull him into a deep slumber.

"Vince?"

"Hmm?" he asked sleepily, opening his eyes slightly to look at Howard, a small, dozy smile on his face.

"Come on you – bed."

For once, Vince didn't put up a fight as Howard pulled him up from his seat and let him lean against him as he walked him to the bedroom. He had barely managed to get changed before he passed out into a deep sleep. Howard smiled and pushed him fully onto the bed, drawing the duvet up around him and kissing his cheek.

"Sleep well, sweetheart," he whispered.

xxxx

Vince whimpered in his sleep, waking himself up when the itch in his throat threatened to explode. He gasped in air as he sat up, coughing violently. His head was spinning and he felt like he was going to be sick. Pushing the duvet off of his sweat-soaked body, he moved his legs over the side of the bed, trying to stand, but as his legs wobbled he fell onto his hands and knees, spluttering as he tried to suck in precious oxygen. He vaguely heard the door opening and the sound of his voice being called, but didn't really acknowledge anything until Howard's face swarmed into his line of hazy vision.

"Can't... breathe," he wheezed, one hand coming up to clutch at his neck.

Howard sat him upright, holding his head up. "All right, you're going to be all right," he soothed as he tried to calm him down and get him to control his breathing. It seemed to work for a few moments, but before Howard could emit a sigh of relief, the hacking cough came back, worse than before, causing Vince to lurch forward in fright. His whole body shook as he spluttered, and to his terror a taste appeared in his mouth that hadn't been there before. He choked, liquid rising up his throat and forcing its way out of his mouth.

"Jesus!" Howard cried, reeling in horror as blood poured down Vince's chin and onto the floor. Naboo and Bollo had gone out an hour or so earlier, and so it was with a heavy heart that he tore himself away from Vince and ran for the phone.

Vince felt like he was drowning. He wanted to cry, but he didn't have the energy. He had tried to scream when Howard left his side, but instead of sound coming out it was crimson fluid. After what felt like hours, although it could only have been a minute, the only presence that was offering him any comfort was back at his side, holding him and whispering into his ear.

"I've got you, Vince, I've got you," Howard said, on the verge of tears.

Vince managed to stop coughing long enough to force a much needed breath into his lungs, but the sensation only served to start him off again, and he coughed up another mouthful of blood before finally losing consciousness.

Trying not to spiral off into a blind panic, Howard carefully lay him on his side so he didn't choke, tears pouring down his face as he trembled, constantly checking that Vince was still breathing, even if it was only slightly. He waited with baited breath for the sound of sirens, for the flash of blue lights and men in green, time passing in slow motion. When they finally arrived, all he could do was stand there in shock, shirt covered in Vince's blood, as they strapped him to a stretcher and placed an oxygen mask over his face. He followed them out numbly, not even noticing when the ambulance wailed off into the night at high speed as he sat there holding his lover's hand.

xxxx

**Burn, baby, burn.**

Vince opened his eyes slowly, wincing in pain as he tried to swallow. Turning his head carefully to one side, he saw Howard asleep in the chair beside his bed. So, he was back here again, was he? He weakly reached a hand up to his face and pulled the mask down, surprised at how much the small movement exhausted him. He wanted to get Howard's attention, but it was a great effort to even open his mouth, let alone speak.

"Howard?" he called, his voice barely audible over the steady beeping of the heart monitor beside the bed. When he didn't stir, he tried a bit harder. 'Howard," he said, the extra strain making him cough. Luckily, it didn't develop into anything and passed quickly, but it was enough to wake the sleeping man up.

"Hey," he said, realising where he was and sitting up too fast, the blood rushing straight to his head. He quickly blinked it away, desperate to divert his attention to where it was most needed as quickly as possible. He took Vince's hand and leant over the bed, being careful to mind the drip in his arm. "You had me worried there for a bit, little man," he said, gently reaching down to run a hand through Vince's hair.

Vince looked up at him, startled by how old he suddenly looked, pain and worry etched all over his face.

"What's happening to me?" he asked, his voice so small and frightened that it almost broke Howard's heart.

"The doctors are trying to find out."

"They still don't know?"

Howard shook his head. "No. But don't worry – we'll find out soon and then they'll fix you right up, I promise."

Vince tried his best to smile. "Don't make promises you can't keep."

"Vince..." but he trailed off when he saw that he had fallen asleep. Moving carefully, so as not to disturb him, Howard got up and went out into the corridor.

"How is he?" Naboo said, rising from his seat, having rushed to the hospital when Howard had called him in a mess.

"He woke up for a bit, but now he's sleeping again." Howard rubbed his eyes and Naboo looked concerned at the strain showing on his face.

"Come on," he said, nudging Bollo awake. "Let's go and get some coffee."

As they walked to the end of the corridor and turned the corner, neither one of them heard the machine in Vince's room intensify its beeping, demanding attention from the medical staff. As a flurry of doctors and nurses rushed in, the beeps merged into one.

It flat-lined.

xxxx

Naboo stared meekly into his coffee cup. "It's bad enough that the doctors can't work out what's wrong with him, but even I'm not picking anything up," he said, looking guilty.

"Hey," Howard said, placing a hand on the tiny shaman's arm. "It'll all get figured out eventually." He drained his cup and stood up. "Coming?"

They headed back, completely unaware of the drama unfolding in Vince's room until they reached the end of the corridor and a doctor came rushing up to them.

"Mr Moon," she said, her eyes locking on to his intensely.

"What, what is it? Have you found out what's wrong with him?"

The doctor looked at him sadly. "Mr Moon, I'm so sorry..."

The next few moments rushed past in a blur, and somehow Howard found himself standing outside of Vince's room, the doctor explaining to him what had happened. Howard stared numbly as he watched the doctor's mouth move, barely aware of the slight pressure on his hand and shoulder as Naboo and Bollo held onto him. As he was moved into Vince's room, time suddenly sped up again, and he rushed to his side, throwing himself down and burying his head in his shoulder. He sobbed, tears soaking his face as his shoulders heaved.

"Vince," he cried, "wake up... please, wake up! Wake up, wake up..."

Naboo stood there in shock, for once not knowing what to do. His eyes moistened and overflowed silently, and he held onto Bollo's arm for support. Bollo tugged him gently and led him out of the room, quietly suggesting that they wait in the hallway.

Howard heard the door click shut, and he clutched at Vince's arm, trying desperately to shake him awake. "Vince... sweetheart, come on. Don't leave me... please, don't leave me." He put a hand to his face, the skin sallow and cold, lips bloodless. "Come back."

But Vince's life in this world had ended.

However, he was soon to wake up in another.

xxxx

**Sorry about the cliffhanger – I couldn't help myself! See the little purple button right there? Well, he gets incredibly lonely, so clicking on him would really cheer the little fella up. Thanks! xx**


	3. Welcome to Hell

**A/N: I felt bad for leaving such a horrible cliffhanger earlier, so here's a little chapter just to tide you over before I get to the gritty stuff! **

**xxxx**

When the nurse came in to remove the drip from Vince's arm and take the tube out of his mouth that the doctor had inserted to try and get air to his lungs, Howard insisted on staying. He watched silently as she gently cleaned him up, eventually leaving them alone again.

"Doesn't know what she's doing, does she?" he whispered, using his fingers to brush through Vince's hair until is resembled its usual style. "That's better."

"Howard?" Naboo called out gently as he entered the room.

Howard looked at him through tired eyes, his head throbbing. "I was just fixing his hair for him – he wouldn't want it to look a mess."

Naboo smiled at him sadly, worried for his well-being. "We should get you home," he said softly.

Howard shook his head, ignoring the pain that coursed through it as he did so. "I can't leave him on his own – he doesn't like to be by himself."

Naboo walked over to him and tentatively put an arm round his shoulders. "Howard..."

"I can't," he choked out, starting to cry again and leaning against the shaman for support as his shoulders heaved and his body shook. He clutched Naboo's collar. "You can bring he back, can't you?" he asked desperately. "You must have something that will bring him back." He sobbed as Naboo shook his head.

"I'm so sorry, Howard," he said, looking at him through red-rimmed eyes. "Listen, the doctors want to take him away to find out what happened to him."

Howard let out a strangled sound and sobbed even harder. "I don't – I don't – I don't want them to – to..."

"I know, but they have to find out. Don't you want to know?"

He looked at him in resignation. "Just give me a few minutes," he sniffed.

Naboo nodded and squeezed his arm before leaving the room.

Howard leant forward and stroked Vince's face, tears running down his own. "I'm so sorry, Vince. I'm so sorry I couldn't save you," he said, his voice shaking. "I can't imagine not having you by my side – how do I live without you? What do I do?" He took his hand and squeezed it tight. "You know, I never really knew what it was to love someone until I had you. You complete me. And for years, you were right under my nose and I never even knew it. I know it was only four months, but I wouldn't swap that time for anything – unless it meant I could have you back." He took in a deep breath. "I know you said not to make promises, but this is one I can keep – I have never, ever, loved anyone the way I love you, and I never will. You were my whole life, and now I'm so lost, Vince..." he cracked then, sobbing painfully. "I don't know what to do, I don't know how to live... I can remember when it changed, you know. Remember when we were tied up in the Tundra? I told you I loved you and you laughed. I know you didn't mean too, but it hurt, and that's when I realised that I loved you in a different way to how I had done, and I had to hide it – for ages. All that stuff with Mrs Gideon and every other girl that passed my way – none of it was real in the end. I was just kidding myself because I never thought for one second that you would love me in the same way. But you know what? You were worth the wait – you were worth everything." He placed a kiss on his forehead and then on his lips, shuddering when he felt how cold they were. "Sweet dreams, my angel. I love you." He looked at Vince properly one last time, then got up onto his unsteady legs and left the room, not looking back.

Naboo and Bollo watched him as he entered the corridor, making sure he was okay for the moment before they went in to say their own goodbyes.

xxxx

Vince groaned and sat up, a hand going straight to his head as it protested against the sudden movement painfully. He blinked his grogginess away and turned his head to one side, expecting to see Howard still sitting in his chair. When he didn't, it was only then that he realised he wasn't in his hospital room anymore. His eyes widened in horror as he saw that he was sitting on the floor of what appeared to be a cave – a hot cave. With steam and... something really putrid. Vince gagged and put a hand over his face, the stench of sulphur and death trying to fight its way up his nose. He panicked, looking around for the one thing that could make him feel less frightened.

"Howard?!" he called as he stood, the smell making him cough. "Howard!"

A deep, rumbling laugh echoed through the cave, startling Vince and making him trip slightly as he got his foot caught on a small rock.

"Who are you?" he demanded, with more bravery than he felt. "Where am I?"

"You're in Hell, my boy."

Vince looked around, trying to see the person he was talking to, but there was no one there. "Why am I in Hell?"

The voice laughed again, dripping in malice. "You mean, you haven't figured it out yet? You're dead, Vince, and I have your soul."

Vince's jaw dropped, and he stuttered as he tried to speak. "I – I'm dead?"

"'Fraid so. Here, take a look."

Part of the cave wall started to shimmer, and Vince watched it intently as it turned into some sort of screen. He could see his room at the hospital and... he reeled back when he saw himself lying in the bed, still and lifeless. He watched as Howard bent over him, running his fingers through his hair, appearing to put it in some sort of style. Vince gave a small, sad smile as he heard him whisper 'that's better.' Naboo came in and tried to get him to leave, and Vince felt his heart break as Howard protested that he couldn't leave him on his own. By the time Howard had poured his heart out to him and left the room, Vince was sobbing despairingly. The screen shimmered away.

"I have to go to him," Vince begged, but the voice simply told him it wasn't possible at that moment in time. "What do you mean 'at this moment in time?!'" he replied angrily "And if I'm dead, why am I still in pain? And why am I in Hell?! What did I do that was so bad?"

"You haven't done anything, Vince," the voice boomed back. "You can still feel pain because I need you too – It makes it all the more fun."

"What?! What are you talking about?"

"There is a way you can get back to the world of the living – but first you have to pass a series of tests."

"Tests? Look, what is this?" Vince demanded, very close to completely losing his temper.

"Now, now, my boy. Calm down. You see, it wasn't actually your time to die at all. From time to time, simply for my own amusement, I like to pluck unsuspecting victims from their cosy lives and make them fight for their freedom. That's why you got ill, Vince. I weakened you so I could take you, and I have to say, it was rather fun."

Vince exploded. "Fun? FUN?! Did you see Howard? Did you see him? Did you see what you've done to him?!"

The voice ignored his rant, deciding to continue his explanation instead. "These tests will not be easy – you will face many obstacles along the way."

"What happens if I fail?"

"Then I get to keep your soul and you'll stay here for all eternity."

Vince flinched at this, before saying, "and if I win, I get to go home?"

The voice laughed again, and as it said "no one has ever won," Vince felt himself being thrust forward into a wall of suffocating heat.


	4. The First Test

**A/N: The photo that I refer to in this chapter is of a real one I saw of Julian and Noel, although I made up where it was taken. You guys have been great with your reviews, and I hope you like this chapter just as much! **

**xxxx**

Howard sat on the edge of his bed – **their** bed – and stared numbly out of the window. It was dark now, the moon was high and the stars twinkling brightly. Shadows cast themselves eerily over the room, and a thin sliver of moon-ray shone itself over Vince's dressing table, lighting up the colourful array of accessories that had been tossed over it, almost carelessly, waiting for their owner to come give them a sense of arrangement.

Howard didn't notice the knock on the door, nor did he notice the presence standing behind him.

"Howard, what are you doing sitting in the dark?" Naboo sat down next to him, placing a cup of tea on the bedside table. Howard finally acknowledged him with a slump of the shoulders and a deep intake of breath.

"Strange, isn't it? You barely ever see the stars over London because of all the smog, and now look at them. Vince loved the stars – said he wanted to cut out a piece of the sky and turn it into a coat. I guess he can now." He smiled sadly, twisting his hands together in his lap.

Naboo placed a comforting hand on his arm. "He's fine, you know. I just know it."

Howard sighed. "Yeah."

"Are you hungry?"

"No," Howard said, shaking his head.

"Well, you let me know if you need anything, okay?"

He nodded. "Thanks, Naboo."

Naboo gave him a small smile and left the room. As soon as the door had closed, Howard reached over past his tea mug and picked up a framed photo. It was of him and Vince when they took a day-trip to Brighton. Both were smiling, an arm round each other, Vince's other arm holding his hat onto his head. It had been quite windy that day, but that didn't stop them from having a good time. Vince had even managed to drag Howard on the rollercoaster on the pier, and he'd held onto him for dear life as it flew out over the sea, laughing his head off, shrieking and trying not to be sick all at the same time. Howard's eyes welled at the memory, and he lay down on the bed, clutching the photo to him as he broke down again.

xxxx

Vince gasped and coughed as he waved his hands about in front of him, trying to clear the steam. When it finally drifted away, he saw that he was standing in a long corridor lit by torches along the wall. The ground, which previously had been burning his feet, now felt cooler, and he looked down to see that his hospital gown had been replaced by his normal clothes, the shoes now providing a barrier against the stinging heat of the floor.

"What do I do now!?" he shouted out.

He received no reply, so instead he scowled at his surroundings and walked on up the corridor, which was getting narrower the further he went. He finally came to a wooden door, but upon trying the handle, found that he couldn't open it. Banging an impatient fist against it, he tried to regain his composure and, for the first time in his life, think logically. A noise behind him made him spin round in fright, and his eyes widened in horror as he saw metal spikes push through the stone wall either side of him, a horrible grinding sound which stopped when they were prominent enough to cause more than just extreme pain. Vince breathed heavily and thought frantically. He had to get through the door before they started to move again. However, five minutes later he was still none the wiser, and he tried not to panic when the walls, not just the spikes, started to move in on him. The sound of stone on stone ground horribly, and his head spun as he tried not to be sick. He closed his eyes, waiting for the first stab of pain... but it never came. Barely a second after they had started to move, they stopped. Vince opened his eyes slowly and looked around warily. Steadying his nerves, he guessed he had only a few minutes before they moved again, so he looked around, trying to find something to get the door open with. He pulled at one of the spikes, hoping that if he could pull it out he could somehow break the lock with it. He tugged at it with all the strength he had, but it was to no avail. Yelling in frustration, Vince let go, running his hands through his hair and grabbing it at the roots. He was hot and groggy and wanted to cry again, but he thought of getting back to Howard and held the tears back.

Then he heard that sound again and he let out a shriek.

"No!" he shouted.

Again, after a second, the walls stopped moving. Vince could tell that the next time they moved, that would be it for him.

"What would Howard do?" he whispered to himself – then his eyes settled on one of the flaming torches. Moving forward as quickly and as carefully as he could, he snatched it up and went back to the door. Holding the torch up, he waited impatiently for it to set it alight. Soon, smoke started to billow out and flames licked at the wood. Vince stepped away slightly, the intense heat burning his skin, and rocked back and forth on his heels, praying for it to burn faster as sweat ran down his face, his clothes clinging to him uncomfortably. When he could see it was nearly done, he got ready to run through it. He was concentrating so hard on getting to the other side, that he didn't notice the walls had started to move again until he felt a painful scratching against his skin.


	5. On the Rooftop

**A/N: Sorry about that horrible cliffy – hope this swift update makes up for it! xx**

**xxxx**

Vince screamed out and lurched forward, not caring that the flames around the door had not died down as much as he would have liked. He felt his skin ripping and then burning as he scrambled through, not stopping until he was well clear. Staggering against a wall, he looked down to assess how bad his injuries were. He was covered in cuts, although they were not as deep as he had first thought, blood trickling out, not gushing like he had expected. He skin was flushed red and felt like really bad sunburn, some of it blistering slightly. He winced as every part of him stung, but after a moment he pushed himself onwards, dreading what lay ahead.

xxxx

Howard was seething. He had just got off the phone to the doctor who had performed Vince's post mortum, who had told him that the reason for Vince's heart failure could not be found, and they still couldn't work out why he had been coughing up blood and passing out. Howard, who was now going through the anger stage of grief, had yelled at him tearfully whilst the poor man tried to explain to him they were doing more in-depth tests and that the results would take a few days.

Howard went over to the sky-light, pushing it open and clambering up onto the roof. He sat there, breathing deeply and staring out over the rooftops, watching as a cat stalked along, ready to pounce on a blackbird, which flew away at the last moment.

Earlier that day Vince's parents had come over, and even though it wasn't their fault, everytime they had dug up some memory of their beloved son, Howard wanted to scream at them. More than anything he wanted to just shut himself up in the bedroom, alone, but he knew that they were grieving too, so he sat through it. It wasn't that he didn't like recalling the things that Vince had done, it was just that with every memory that was replayed, it further twisted the knife into the fact that he wasn't coming back, and when they'd started to discuss funeral arrangements, Naboo had had to practically sit on him to stop him from bolting out the door.

"Howard?"

He jumped, and looked down to find Naboo peering up at him curiously through the open window.

"What are you doing? Maybe you should come inside."

Howard shook his head, a small, sarcastic laugh escaping his lips. "I'm not going to jump, Naboo, if that's what you're worried about."

Naboo looked at him sadly. "I know, I just..." he trailed off, not entirely sure what to say, but was saved when a large clattering sound echoed from below, a loud grunt of annoyance coming from Bollo. "Just be careful up there," he said softly, before disappearing back inside.

Howard put his head in his hands. In truth, he **had** thought about jumping off the roof and putting an end to his pain – but he'd never actually do it. It would be selfish of him, and just cause more pain for everyone else. He wondered what Vince was doing – probably lounging about on a cloud somewhere, sulking because there wasn't a branch of Topshop in heaven. That made him give a genuine chuckle and he actually smiled to himself, albeit briefly. Then the anger kicked in again and he told himself to shut up, that Vince was dead and he wasn't doing anything. He glared at a pigeon that landed on the chimney, its constant cooing driving him mad, and he shooed it away.

After a while, it started to rain. He barely noticed though, and was drenched by the time Naboo had noticed the change in the weather. The tiny shaman reappeared at the window and practically yanked him back through, ordering him to go and get changed while he made him a cup of tea.

Some time later, the doorbell rang.

xxxx

"Hello?!" Vince yelled, hands flat against the walls of yet another narrow corridor, pushing himself along with what little energy he had left, or perhaps it was just left-over adrenaline. He called out again, getting more and more agitated as he was further ignored. The corridor eventually opened up into a cavern. Vince walked to the edge, stumbling backwards when he saw how deep it was. He couldn't even see the bottom – it was just darkness. Jets of steam shot up and the air was damp with heat. What was he supposed to do now? The only way out of the cavern was back the way he had come. He sat on a rock, waiting for something to happen – waiting for spikes to shoot up from the floor, or for the roof of the cave to fall in.

After what seemed like an age, the floor started to rumble, causing Vince to fall backwards off of the rock. Scrambling to his feet and springing away from the bits of debris that fell from above, a bright light on the other side of the cavern caught his attention, and he squinted at it as it formed a shape and then faded away. In its place was another door. For a second, Vince was fooled, and he started to walk over to it, thinking this had just been a stop-gap and he could pass straight through it without any problems. To the right of him, flames started to shoot up from the deep abyss, and as the rumbling stopped, Vince could see that there were now cracks in the floor, cutting it into squares, and he yelped and jumped out of the way as part of the ground gave way, the loudness of it deafening him until it stopped as quickly as it had started. He ran back to where he had started, the sudden, eerie silence making him shudder with fear. He stared down at the cracks, his head hurting as he tried to figure out what he was supposed to do. Just then, the ground lurched again, and another piece crumbled away. That was when Vince started to get it.

"I have to get across without standing on the wrong square," he whispered to himself.

But was there a pattern to it, or was it just luck? He stared into the flames. No way was he going to end up down there.

xxxx

Naboo pulled the front door open, and looked out to see... nothing. Then he heard a cough, and he looked down to see a tiny, red man who was dressed in a black, military style uniform with red lightening bolts emblazoned on the front.

"Hello," Naboo said, looking slightly confused at the sight of him. "Can I help you?"

"Yes. I'm here about a mister Vincent Noir – recently deceased, but not quite."

Naboo scowled at him. "That's not funny you know," he snapped, and the little man looked startled.

"Oh, no, no! I have some information on him – I know where he is!"


	6. The Second Test

**A/N: It's late, I'm tired, and even though I've spell checked and done a read through, it still might be littered with errors, so I apologise!**

**I love your reviews, they make me very smiley, so in honour of that, this chapter is quite a bit longer than the last... I think. **

**I'm dedicating this chapter to violence4, because I did pout at her quite a lot and she gave me fluff in one of her chapters to calm me down for a bit.**

**Enjoy!**

**xxxx**

"Howard?"

Howard, who was once again sitting by the bedroom window and staring out into the gloominess, jumped as Naboo entered the room, hastily wiping at his eyes.

"What?" he whispered, painfully.

Naboo stared awkwardly at Howard's back. "There's someone here to see you."

"I told you – I don't want to see anyone." He hiccupped slightly then as he unsuccessfully held back a sob.

Shutting the door, Naboo walked over to him, leaning against the window ledge. "He's here about Vince."

Howard's head snapped up. "What?"

Naboo looked at him cautiously, aware that this was a extremely delicate situation, and the last thing he wanted Howard to think was that it was being mocked in some way. But Howard's train of thought had already wandered. Having spread his hand back on the bed slightly, he felt with a heavy heart the Vince shaped dip that still remained on his side of the bed and the tears flowed freely down his face again.

"Oh, Howard. C'mere." Naboo pulled him into a hug, which still felt strange to him, since before now the most physical contact he'd had with the jazz maverick was a shake of the hand or a pat on the arm.

Howard hesitated for a second before leaning into him. "I'm sorry. It's just..." he sighed. "I miss him so much. When I get into bed, it feels empty, but I can forget for a bit, you know? I can let myself think that he's still here, that he's just stayed up to watch TV or something, and when I wake up in the morning it's still with me, until I look up or roll over and... he's not actually come to bed at all, because he's not here, and -" Howard's voice went up several pitches and started to crack, "- he's never going to be here – he's never coming back and I hate him for it. I hate him, but I love him and I hate that too!" he cried, highly distressed now and trying to pull out of Naboo's arms. He finally managed it and stumbled across the room, leaning on the wall at the farthest end and smacking his hand against it, crying and hiccupping and trying to breath all at the same time. After a few moment, he slid down in and sat on the floor with his knees pulled up to his chin, calming done slightly. Naboo crouched next to him. "Is it possible to hate someone you love?"

Naboo nodded. "Yes – but you don't hate him. You're just mad that he's been taken from you, and that's perfectly normal."

Howard put his head in his hands. "I can't believe I just said that. I don't hate him, I don't. It's just that I never knew loving him could hurt this much. Is it supposed too?"

Naboo sighed. "Howard, at some point love is **always** painful, whether the person you love loves you back or not. As the saying goes – love hurts. But that's not a reason to not love, is it?"

Howard sniffed and shook his head. "No."

"And you know how much Vince loved – loves – you, don't you?"

"I do. just wish I could hear him say it – just one more time. The last time he said it, it wasn't because he was happy - it was because he was scared, frightened by something that no one could explain and he kept saying it over and over again, drilling it into my head, like he knew something was going to happen to him and he wanted to make sure I knew how he felt." He hung his head for a second, then looked up at the door, his face screwed up slightly. "Did you say there was someone here to see me?"

"Oh, yeah. Listen Howard, I'm not sure... I mean, he looks a little odd, but you'll have to ignore that because he says... he says..."

"What is it, Naboo?" Howard said, more sternly than he intended.

Naboo took a deep breath. "He says he knows where Vince is."

Howard blinked at him. "I'm sorry... what?"

"He says -"

"That's not funny, Naboo," he snapped, standing up. He went to storm out, to go and confront this jokester, but Naboo jumped up and grabbed his arm.

"Look, I know it sounds insane, but there's something about him... I just think you should hear what he has to say."

Howard stared at him for a second. Naboo's eyes were intense and seemingly asking Howard to trust him. He would never do anything to belittle Vince's memory, and he'd know if this guy wasn't for real...

"Okay."

They walked out, Howard instantly freezing when he saw the strange little red man. He composed himself and shuffled over to the sofa, still staring at him.

"You must be Howard," he said, waddling over to him. Howard stiffened, his eyes stinging and red-raw from where he'd been crying. "I'm Zefnos."

Howard regarded him briefly, before saying, "What do you want?"

Zefnos looked a little nervous. "I..." he cleared his throat and tried to assert himself. "I work – **worked** – for the man downstairs and -"

"You what?" Howard asked, a frown on his face.

"Satan, or whatever you want to call him, and -"

"Satan? Look, what's this got to do with Vince?"

Zefnos sighed. "Please, if you'd let me finish?"

Naboo caught Howard's eye and gave him a small nod of reassurance.

"As I was saying, I worked for him. I ran away because I didn't agree with his... ethic. Although, when he finds out, if he catches me..." He sighed again, catching himself before he got too far from the point. "You see, sometimes, for... for **fun**, he likes to kidnap people's souls and put them through a series of tests. If they pass, he lets the soul return to its body, and if not, they stay dead. So far, they've always stayed dead, but what I'm trying to say is, he's got Vince, who you think is dead, only he's not completely, if you see what I mean and..." he trailed off at the look on Howard's face, a look that said he was **definitely** thinking about killing him. "Look, I'll... I'll show you." He waved a hand at the opposite wall and it shimmered before turning into a large screen.

Howard yelped in surprise, startled to see Vince standing in what looked like a cave.

"What's... what..."

"I'm sorry," Zefnos said, shaking his head. "I want to put a stop to this, and I might just be able to help you get Vince out of this. I can try and set up a telepathic link, so you can help him work his way through it, but it'll be hard work and -"

"Telepathic link? I can help with that!" Naboo said.

Zefnos looked confused.

"Shaman," Bollo grunted.

Vince moved suddenly, and all eyes were on the wall again – Howard's had never left. He looked like he was in a trance.

"So he's... he's in **Hell**?"

"Yes."

"But it's just a game? A game? HOW IS THIS A GAME?!" he suddenly yelled, causing the whole room to jump.

"Howard -"

"He's got to pass tests in order to live?! And he's in Hell? But what... he hasn't... HE'S DONE NOTHING WRONG!"

Naboo put a hand on his arm to try and calm him. "Howard, just concentrate on Vince, okay? On getting him back."

Howard glared at him. "He's for real is he, this guy?"

Naboo nodded. "I have heard of this, although I thought it was just an urban legend. But it's true – if Vince doesn't pass these tests, then he won't live, and that is why you have to put whatever you are feeling to one side and concentrate on getting him back."

"But... but he's at the hospital, and he's been... he's been..."

"The body will repair itself when the soul returns."

Howard still looked confused. "If he's.. if that's his soul, then why is he -"

"It's all part of it," Zefnos cut in, sounding guilty and sad. "He gives their souls a solid form, still lets them feel pain.. you can guess why."

Vince suddenly yelped, and four heads whipped round to the screen just as part of the floor of the cave crumbled.

xxxx

Vince managed to steady himself as the floor fell away.

"Okay," he said, trying to keep calm. "Pattern. Pattern, pattern, pattern." Unaware that anyone could see or hear him, apart from whoever was holding him here, Vince sent a few, well chosen expletives up towards the roof of the cavern and let out a frustrated growl. He chewed his bottom lip as he thought, looking about the floor wildly. First of all, the ground had given way to his left, then to the front, then the right... so, logically, it would next give out behind him, but... he doubted that – why would the ground give way behind him when he was trying to get forward? He spun round on one foot, surveying the ground closely, and then spun back. He put his hands on his hips... left, front, right... left, front, right again? Quickly, now. Left, he finally decided, seemed like a good option, so he moved... and the stone square instantly crumbled. Vince shrieked and flailed about, stepping back quickly and trying to regain his balance before he went over the edge, oblivious to the yell of fright Howard had just given back at the flat. He breathed heavily. Okay, not left. Front? He closed his eyes and stepped forward. As he did, the stone square behind him disappeared. Was that it? Left, front, right, front, left, front, right? He stepped to the left, then the front, the right... he'd almost made it when the last step he needed, the front one, started to give way. Not even having time to think, Vince darted forward in a panic.

The ground fell from beneath his feet.

He lurched forward, catching the edge, the jagged stone cutting into his hands. Undeterred and determined to survive, he scrabbled about until he found a small foot hold, and pushed himself up, trying not to cry out in pain as the skin on his hands spit. He finally made it, and threw himself through the door, ignoring the pain coursing through him.

Then he stopped dead, the door slamming shut behind him.

There was a young girl on the floor of the cavern (which looked much the same as the last one, except it didn't have a sheer drop to one side of it), crying in fright, which only intensified when she saw Vince.

"Please... please, don't hurt me!" she cried, scrambling up and backing away.

Vince immediately put his hands up in a non-threatening gesture. "Hey, it's all right. I'm not gonna hurt you."

The girl stopped and looked at him quizzically. "You're lying."

"I'm not! Are you doing these tests too?"

She nodded, still eyeing him warily.

Vince stepped towards her slowly. "I'm Vince," he said, trying not to scare her anymore than she already was.

"Clare.. I'm Clare."

Vince smiled at the young girl softly. "Hi Clare. How old are you?"

"Sixteen."

"Sixteen!" He turned his face upwards, anger gracing his pointed features. "You took a sixteen year old?!"

"He won't talk to you," Clare said. "Been ignoring me for ages." She sobbed then. "I want to go home!"

Vince closed the gap between them, but Clare again stepped back just as he reached her. "Sorry, I just..."

Vince smiled again. "Don't worry about it. We'll get out of this, yeah?"

Clare shuddered and wrapped her arms around her small frame as she sat back down on the stone floor. "What happened to you? How did you get here?"

"Well, the last thing I really remember is coughing up blood, and then..." he shrugged. "You?"

"Same. So, you really aren't going to hurt me then?"

"Don't be daft," he said. "Hey, you're from Yorkshire, right?"

"How did you... Oh, right," she said, realising that her accent was probably a dead give-away.

Vince managed a small chuckle. "My boyfriend's from Yorkshire – Leeds." He sounded rather proud.

Clare looked up at him as he came to sit beside her. "Hey, me too. Boyfriend?"

"Yeah – that all right?"

Clare managed a smile and tucked her blonde hair behind her ears. "That's cool. My cousin's gay – he's brilliant. And, apparently, my uncle is now too, although I haven't seen him for years." She sniffed then, trying to hold back tears. Vince put a tentative arm around her shoulders.

"We'll get out of here, Clare -"

"But, he said -"

"Doesn't matter – we will."

They sat in silence for a moment, the stillness making them nervous as to what was to come.

A door shimmered to life right near them.

"Do you think we can just walk straight through it?" Clare asked.

Vince thought it over. It didn't look far away enough to be attached to another ludicrous task. He stood up and held a hand out to Clare. "Come on – let's find out."

As it happened, they were able to pass right through, although something not entirely pleasant was waiting on the other side.


	7. End of Act One

Howard's face had gone a peculiar shade of pale, and Naboo stood looking at him nervously.

"Howard..."

"That's..." he swallowed, his mouth dry, hardly believing what he was seeing. "That's my niece." He sat down heavily on the sofa, eyes still fixed on the screen. "I haven't seen her for so long, but I'd know her anywhere. That's my niece. That's my niece... and my boyfriend."

Zefnos threw his hands up in the air. "I don't believe it! He's never done that before! He's never -"

"WELL HE HAS NOW, HASN'T HE!" Howard yelled at him, hands pulling frantically at his hair as he jumped back up.

Zefnos backed away, looking completely bewildered.

The ringing of the phone broke through the heavy atmosphere, and Naboo reached down to pick it up.

"Hello?... he's here, I'll just get him for you." Naboo faced Howard and held the phone out to him. "It's your mum."

xxxx

Vince pushed open the door and stepped forward – and almost immediately, he screamed.

Clare cried out and lunged for him, grabbing at Vince's shirt and pulling him back as he fell forward over the edge.

Vince clapped a hand to his chest and breathed deeply from where she'd thrown him back against the wall. "Thanks, Clare." He didn't even want to think about what would have happened if she hadn't been there.

They looked down, and saw the reason for Vince's near fall. Below them was a deep, dark pit, which took up the entire cave. The only way across was via a line of rather small stepping stones, which seemed to be floating in mid-air. A door appeared on the other side. Vince could hear dripping, and he looked round to find that the walls were wet and glistening. The air smelt damp and stale, and light shot across the cavern in strips from the torches on the wall – not that there were many of them. Even though Vince could see the door at the other end, he couldn't see if the stepping stones stretched all the way – he just assumed they would.

"Right, then," Clare said, sounding a bit calmer now she had an ally.

Vince gave her a small smile. "Right then." He stepped over the gap and onto the small step, concentrating on keeping his balance. Now was not the time to get vertigo. He turned carefully and held his hand out to Clare, frowning when she shook her head.

"There's barely room for you there, let alone me. I'll go when you're on the next one."

He nodded. "Be careful." He took another step, which was actually more like a leap as the gap was bigger than the last one, trying with all his might to stop the sudden case of the shakes that was currently vibrating through his body. He turned slowly, watching with bated breath as Clare moved forward.

xxxx

Howard held the phone to his ear, already knowing exactly what his mother was going to say. Eyes unfocused, he stared straight ahead, feeling like he was floating. When he finished the call, he sat back down and watched the screen again.

Naboo didn't need to ask. It was obvious what had been said. He watched Howard watching the screen, feeling guilty that he couldn't do anything.

"Did we do something wrong?" Howard said, voice barely a whisper as he watched Vince and Clare balancing precariously on stepping stones, trying not to cry with fright.

Zefnos shook his head sadly. "No. No one ever does."

"But it's two people I love. Two. Why?" His voice cracked, and Naboo came and sat next to him, giving Bollo a small nod as he brought over mugs of tea, although, to be honest, no one felt like drinking them.

"I don't know."

"You don't know much, do you?" Howard sneered.

Zefnos sighed. "I guess he just thought it would be -"

"Fun?!" Howard cut over him, glaring intensely.

Naboo put a hand on his arm to calm him, but he shrugged it off. "If they don't get out of there," he threatened Zefnos, "I'll rip your throat out with my bare hands."

xxxx

Clare's scream made Vince spin round too quickly, and he nearly lost his footing.

"Clare!"

"There's something on my foot!" she cried, terrified.

Vince looked down and saw what looked like slimy, green tentacles wrapping itself around her. Then he looked at his own feet, and saw the same thing.

"We have to move – quickly!"

"But -"

"Jump!"

Clare shook the thing from her foot and sprung forward, landing on the stone in front just as Vince leapt off of it. They carried on, trying desperately not to fall, the gaps between the stones getting bigger and the tentacles reaching up more persistently. Clare stomped down on them as she jumped again, but they caused her to slip as she propelled herself forward.

"Vince!" she shrieked, arms flailing as she tried to get her footing.

Without thinking, Vince flung his arms out and caught her just as her foot missed the edge. He stumbled with her, and they both cried out as it seemed they were going to go over anyway. Vince held Clare tightly to him as they fell...

...and landed barely a second later on the hard floor. Looking up, Vince saw the door in front of them and whooped joyfully – there hadn't been a gap between that last step and the door after all.

"We made it!" He hauled Clare up and dragged her through the door, being careful this time in case there was another sheer drop on the other side. Thankfully, there wasn't.

Clare scanned the area, puzzlement written over her features. "Vince... why are we in a waiting room?"

Vince looked up and down and left and right. The room was completely red – the only thing breaking it up was the black leather sofa and coffee table.

A sign lit up above them.

"'End of Act One'", Clare read, the red neon hurting her eyes. "Great – more to come."

Vince scratched his head and walked toward the sofa, his heels clicking on the floor, the echo bouncing off the walls. He sat down warily, bouncing a little. "Seems okay," he said.

Clare went over and sat next to him. "So we just... wait?"

"Looks like it."

They sat silently for a few minutes, just trying to calm themselves and sort their heads out. After a while, Clare heard Vince sniff, and she looked over to find him fiercely wiping his eyes, pressing the heels of his palms into them.

"Vince?"

"I'm fine," he said, a bit too quickly.

She sighed. "It's okay to be scared, you know." She put a hand on his shoulder to comfort him, and he offered her a weak smile in return.

"It's not... okay, well, it is **that**, but it's... I miss Howard." He took a deep breath. "When you first came here, did he show you anything on a screen? Your parents?"

Clare shook her head. "No, why?"

"He showed me Howard, sitting next to me in the hospital, when I had just..." he trailed off, gulping down a strangled sound that threatened to spill out of his mouth. He met Clare's eyes. "I've never seen so much pain on someone's face before. He was distraught and I could do nothing but watch. I... I just wanted to hold him and I couldn't!"

Clare put her arms around him and pulled him close as he sobbed into her shoulder. She didn't mind – she was used to her friends crying on her all the time. But this was an actual, real reason, not because someone's crush preferred the attentions of the skinnier, prettier blonde sitting the other side of the classroom. Then something struck her. It was probably just coincidence, and she felt a bit silly asking, but...

"What's Howard's last name?"

Vine lifted his weary head to look at her, a slightly confused expression on his face.

"It's Moon. Why?"

Clare stared at him, her mouth dropping unattractively.

Vince snuffled and wiped his hands over his face. "What is it?"

"My uncle's name is Howard Moon."


	8. Interlude

**A/N: I'm sorry this chapter's quite short, and nothing much happens. I just felt like it was the right place to end it! Please continue with your lovely reviews!**

**xxxx**

There was silence for a moment – then Vince laughed.

"No way! Hey, come to think of it, my Howard's got a niece called Clare. Funny ol' world, innit?"

Clare stared at him incredulously. So, this was **the** Vince Noir, which meant, from what she'd heard from her grandmother, that this pretty boy was sometimes a bit slow on the uptake. So she waited, looking up at an imaginary penny in the air...

Credit where credit's due though, it didn't actually take Vince that long before he suddenly gasped and pointed at her, the penny dropping with a loud crash.

"You!"

"You!"

"I thought that jacket looked familiar! I **chose** that jacket!"

"You did?"

"Do you really think your uncle would be able to choose suitable clothes for a teenage girl? I **always **pick your birthday and Christmas presents!"

They paused and stared at each other.

"Getting a bit off track here, aren't we?" Clare finally pointed out.

Vince looked at her sheepishly. "A bit, yeah." He kicked the heels of his purple Chelsea boots against the floor.

"I should have known, really," Clare said, gesturing to is outfit. "Me Nan said you were 'flamboyant'."

Vince looked offended. "Listen you – I'm a trend-setter, people look up to me. I inspire."

Clare smiled and hugged his arm. "I meant it in a good way. Beside, if you weren't, I would have such cool clothes!"

Vince licked his lips in thought. "True."

"So," Clare said, after a moment. "I guess you know all about Howard and my mum, then?"

"Yeahhh. You do know he was only looking out for her though, don't you?"

She nodded. "And he was right, you know. My dad **is** an arse, but mum won't hear it. I don't get on with him, and I don't think he likes me very much either."

"Of course he does – he's your dad."

"No – he really doesn't. Nan says he and Howard didn't see eye to eye from the moment they first met, and then, when I was five, they had a fight because of how he was treating my mum, and she threw him out, said he was never to go near the house again and he wouldn't be seeing me, either."

Vince looked at her sympathetically. "I'm sorry." He squeezed her hand. "I know Howard misses you, though. Always says that he wishes he could give you your presents himself, instead of having to secretly send them to your grandparents' house so your mum doesn't find out. Where does she think all this comes from, by the way?"

Clare shrugged. "She knows my grandparents spoil me." She sighed. "I tried to run away to London a few years ago – was going to find Howard. But, they caught me and then wouldn't let me out of their sight for ages. Mum was furious with me. She said I shouldn't still miss someone who I haven't seen since I was five – but I do. Mum's never been very maternal, and dad ignores most of the time. Howard was more of a parent to me than they were put together. Apart from my nan and granddad, he was the only one who ever took me out and paid attention to me. He used to read me stories and sing me to sleep. Hushabye Mountain – that was one of my favourites," she said, her eyes welling up.

Vince put an arm round her shoulders. "Hey – when we get out of here, I'll make sure you see him."

"But -"

"I'll work something out," he said, cutting her off from her protestations. "Even if we have to... lie a little."

"They'll find out."

Vince sighed. "I'm trying to help."

Clare looked up and offered him a weak smile. "I know – sorry."

He smiled back. "So, your nan's told you all about me?"

She giggled. "Yep. Every time she hears from Howard, she always lets me know what he's up to – and that includes you."

Vince laughed at the connotations of that statement, but Clare was oblivious.

"She speaks very highly of you, actually," she continued. "Says she always knew there was something more than friendship between you two; said it was a long time coming."

Vince grinned. "We should probably go up and visit – Howard hasn't been up to Leeds for quite a while."

"Yeah, she said. She tells me that quite often," she laughed. "So, how does that work, anyway?"

Vince frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I just meant... well, you're so different – complete opposites, in fact."

"Oh, that. Well, they do say opposites attract." He ran his hands through his hair, ruffling it slightly. "And I love him, so that's all that matters really, isn't it?"

"Yeah, it is." She paused. "Vince?"

"Hmm?"

"Will we really get out of here."

It took him a moment to answer. "Of course we will."

"Why has he taken both of us?"

He shook his head. "I wish I knew."

Just then, the room was plunged into darkness, and Clare screamed.

xxxx

Howard jumped up from where he had been watching the screen, his eyes damp from watching the two of them together.

"What just happened?!" he demanded, turning on Zefnos.

Zefnos looked at him fearfully, his eyes wide. "It's... it's the Surpians."


	9. Burn, Baby, Burn

**A/N: Sorry this has taken so long! I hope this chapter makes up for it. I'll try not to leave it so long before I update again. Thanks for sticking with it! xx**

**xxxx**

They jumped up in fright. Clare reached out blindly, bashing into Vince and grabbing his arm. She breathed heavily, on the edge of panic, trying not to scream again. "What's happening?" she said, voice trembling fearfully.

The darkness combined with the deathly silence was completely unnerving, and it took a while for Vince to find the courage to talk before replying, "I don't know – but at a guess I'd say it wasn't something very nice."

Clare gripped him harder, about to say something, when she cried out again as something brushed lightly passed her. "What was that?!" she shrieked, biting her lip to stop herself from crying.

"I didn't see... **feel** anything," said Vince – then he froze. "Clare?" he whispered, his body starting to shake.

"What is it?"

"I think there's something behind us."

xxxx

"The Surpians are there to drain the rest of your life-force. You can't see them, but they're there, lurking."

Howard looked up at Zefnos, a mixture of fright and confusion on his tired features. "Drain the rest of their 'life-force'?"

Zefnos nodded. "I'm afraid, so far, this is the one test that no one has ever passed."

"No one's ever got further than this?" Howard asked, so quietly that Zefnos only just heard him. He merely shook his head in response.

xxxx

Vince gasped as some unseen force pushed its way through him. Clare cried out, clutching him as he fell forward. He coughed, gasping for breath as he landed on his knees, hands pressed against the floor.

"Vince!"

He drew in air painfully, eventually calming down enough to give Clare's arm a squeeze. "I'm okay... I think. Something... something walked **through **me."

Clare felt sick, her head spinning. "We have to get out of here."

Vince gave a weak laugh. "And how do you propose we do that – it's pitch black, we can't see!" he didn't mean to sound sarcastic, but panic was beginning to set in and he was hating how defenceless and vulnerable he was feeling.

"Sorry," Clare mumbled, on the verge of tears. Vince sighed and pulled her into a hug.

"No, **I'm** sorry. Come on," he said, getting unsteadily to his feet. He took Clare's hand, and used his free one to reach out in front of him. They stepped cautiously forward, not being able to shake off the feeling that something was lurking right next to them, right behind them... in front of them.

Vince's hand finally connected with the wall, and he pushed up against it as he walked along, feeling for anything that might turn out to be a door. The wall was damp under his fingers, and he didn't like to imagine what it could be.

"Vince?"

"Mm?"

"I feel dizzy."

Vince turned and tried to search out Clare's face. "Do you want to stop?"

"No," she panted, breathing deeply. "I just need a second too..." she trailed off, stomach muscles clenching, and she turned away from Vince quickly as she felt the bile push up her throat.

Vince held her as she threw up, rubbing circles on her back, he himself feeling weaker by the second. "Okay?" he asked, worriedly.

"I..." Clare was shaking, hot tears escaping her eyes. "Let's just go – quickly."

Not having any other alternative, Vince continued to lead her along the wall, where he finally felt something that was suspiciously familiar. "Yes!" he cried, triumphantly.

"A door?"

"A door." He pushed down on the handle and it swung open. Vince stopped smiling instantly, the pair of them gasping as a wave of hot air hit them in the face. Another corridor, again lit by torches, but this time steam swirled in the orange glow of the flames, the thick and heavy.

"We have to go through, don't we." More a statement than a question.

Vince nodded.

"It's burning me."

"I know."

He took a deep breath, and pulled her though the door. It swung shut behind them with a loud bang. They started forward, sweat already drenching them and falling into their eyes, making them sting and water. Even though there wasn't any apart from the torches, it still felt as though flames were licking at their backs, pulling the energy out of them and making them hiss painfully. It was almost impossible to breathe, and Vince stumbled as he wiped a hand over his face, his chest tightening. The familiar tickle in his throat alerted him to the fact that any second now he would be coughing dreadfully again, and he swallowed hard, trying to force it down, but it just made it worse, and soon enough a nasty, hacking sound escaped his mouth, taking what little breath he had with it.

Clare looked at him in alarm, not knowing what to do. "Vince... Vince, I don't..." she let out a frustrated sign, her head starting to spin again from the heat.

Vince gagged, blood pouring out of his mouth, and Clare cried out, very afraid that this might be the end.

Oh, no – no, no, NO!"

She tried to push Vince along, but he stumbled again and fell to his knees, choking on the red liquid that came up with each painful, breathless cough. Tears mingled with the sweat on his face, and he managed to summon up enough energy to look at Clare and say, his voice begging; "Run. Get out."

She shook her head. "I can't!"

"You... have too..." more coughing, more blood. "Leave me," he wheezed. "Leave me... get out. Go!"

"No!" Clare sobbed, hands on Vince's shoulders.

Vince looked at her pleadingly, his face twisted in pain, changing to fright as he felt an invisible force flush against his skin. "Clare..."

"I'm not leaving you! You wouldn't leave me!"

"Not... the same..."

"It is! It is the same! We're both getting out of here, d'ya hear me? Now, come on!" She grabbed Vince weakly, hauling him up and dragging him along.

"Can't... burning... can't breathe... can't..."

"You can." Clare looked at Vince desperately, seeing that he was about to pass out. "Fight it Vince, please. You **have** to fight it – think of Howard. You want to see him again, right?"

Vince tried to force a smile onto his face. "More than... anything."

"Right, then." Clare squeezed her eyes shut tightly as a wave of nausea hit her, shaking as she felt something push against her chest, her skin on fire. She looked down, seeing only the swirling steam.

"Clare?"

"I'm fine, I'm... let's go. We're going win this, okay? We have too."

Vince nodded. His coughing fit was starting to calm, albeit only slightly, and he wiped his mouth on the back of his hand, blinking to clear his double vision. He was very doubtful as to how much further he'd actually be able to go.

xxxx

Howard had had enough. He was hysterical, and he rounded on Naboo, fully intent on threatening him into doing something, **anything**, no matter how impossible, to save the lives of the two people he loved most in the whole world. Watching as Clare was sick, and then seeing Vince battle not to drown in his own blood had been the last straw, but as he turned, he was more than a bit surprised to see that Naboo, along with Bollo, had disappeared.

"Where did they go?!"


End file.
